A love-sick beaver has felled trees and left a trail of destruction in a desperate effort to find a mate.

A massive search operation was launched today to track down the rodent, who escaped from his enclosure in a Devon farm by climbing over an electric fence. He is now over 20 miles away, across the county border in Cornwall.

The beaver has gnawed his way through a swathe of trees on a one-and-a-half mile stretch of a river bank in a bid to build the perfect dam to attract a female.Locals had noticed fallen trees bearing the markings of beaver teeth - but experts were baffled as the animals have been extinct in England for the past 800 years.

The six-stone male had escaped from its enclosure with two female beavers which were recaptured shortly after. The animal's conservationist owner, Derek Gow, is now laying a series of humane traps to try to recapture it.

Mr Gow, who keeps 24 beavers under licence from Government agency Natural England, revealed that the 'docile and family-orientated' beaver is living on a 1.2mile stretch of the River Tamar.

He said: 'I know where it is - that's not the problem. The problem is he has established a mile-long territory.

'Beavers haven't lived here since the 13th century and so beaver traps are in short supply. They don't exactly sell them at B&Q.

'We've made our own traps out of steel and aluminium - wood is no good for a beaver trap for obvious reasons. He'd gnaw his way out.'The trap contains female scent which we think may work because he must be lonely and is searching for a partner.

'He can't build a dam because the River Tamar is far too wide for one furry rodent. He's obviously dug a small hole in the riverbank to live in.

'It is one of those things that happen. It's not something anyone wanted to happen, but it has happened.'

Mr Gow's beavers live in a large reserve, which includes a pond, woodland and small river. He believes that the animals escaped after heavy rain caused the water to rise and an electric fence short-circuited.

'We've checked the fence,' he said. 'We can't find any holes at all. We can't think of any other way they might have got out.

'The first two, both females, didn't get far, and settled in a small oxbow lake. The male, apparently looking for love, had other ideas and has river-hopped his way down to Gunnislake.'Mr Gow is now working with Natural England to track down the beaver using 'honeytraps' - boxes marked with a female beaver's scent.

He said: 'It will require five or six at least and we've got traps being made up at the moment. They have two doors at either end and a sensitive plate inside.

'Hopefully using the scent from one of the female beavers, we'll be able to catch the male beaver fairly quickly.'

The eight-year-old beaver was brought to the UK five years ago from Bavaria. He is a herbivore and stays within 50m of the water.

Beavers were hunted to extinction in England and Wales during the 12th century and disappeared from the rest of the country 400 years later. They were hunted for their fur and throat glands, which were believed to have medicinal properties.

Mr Gow said: 'They do chop trees down, but you've got to remember that this is a native animal to this country.

'In the Middle Ages, it was an incredibly valuable animal to kill. If you could kill a beaver, it would be three years' wages.

'That's why there are no beavers any more. It is a native animal and should be here. They are an absolute elemental part of wetland ecology.

'The law is we have to catch him. Natural England are perfectly aware of what is happening and are aware we will deal with it as quickly as we can.'

Several of Mr Gow's beavers are in quarantine for six months before release into the wild in Scotland, as part of a Scottish Executive-approved reintroduction programme.

Earlier this year, 12 baby beavers were born at a reserve at the Lower Mill Estate near Cirencester, Gloucestershire - the first in Britain in 400 years.

In July, a pair of beavers built what is believed to be the first dam in England for centuries at Escot House, near Ottery St Mary, Devon.

The estate has been working to reintroduce the animals on the site for three years and they are kept in an enclosure to prevent them from escaping into the wild.

Over recent years, 15 beavers have been reintroduced to England and Natural England is considering a plan to release 20 into the wild.

Human nature’s versatility is evident in their ability to survive in some of the most hospitable and remote places on Earth. What’s more is that humans don’t just survive but often flourish in these settlements, so it’s no wonder that vast, sprawling cities and bustling trading villages can be found in the world’s highest peaks and valleys.

We present seven of the highest cities on the planet, some of which have become capitals of their country, some long abandoned and left to the elements.

1. The Bolivian city of Potosí is reportedly the highest city in the world, sitting at 4,090 m (13,420 ft) above sea level. The peak of Cerro de Potosí, or Cerro Rico – Rich Mountain, dominates the city’s skyline, and towers a further 800 m above the rooftops.2. Sitting at 2,850 m above sea level and around 22 km from the equator is the Ecuadorian city of Quito. It is flanked either side by the Andes, and on a clear day it’s possible to see the snowcapped volcano, Cotopaxi in the distance.3. Close to the Tibetan border, 12,630 ft high above sea level is the small secluded town of Laya. It is one of the most remote towns in Bhutan, so remote that routes to the area are often closed or impassable over the winter months.

4. It’s hard to believe the area around the towering peaks of the Atakor Mountains are populated; the area is so dry and desolate. But even here life goes on, in a city located around 2,728 m above sea level, called Assekrem. The city lies on one of the oldest trade routes through the Sahara.5. La Paz, also in Bolivia, is a sprawling city 3,500 m above sea level and home to just under one million people. It’s in a great position for those who want to spend some time visiting a number of sights at altitude – the old ruins of Tiahuanacu are nearby (much older than Machu Picchu), as is Lake Titicaca.

6. The tiny Principality of Andorra is a small landlocked country nestled in the Pyrenees mountain range, between Spain and France. The whole country is no bigger than 470 sq km (181 sq m) and the highest of the peaks – Coma Pedrosa – is 2,946 m (9,665 ft) above sea level. It’s also one of Europe’s most popular ski destinations.7. No list about cities in the clouds could be complete without the ancient city of Machu Picchu, high in the Andes. Thought to be built between 1460 and 1470 AD, the city sits at 2,430 m above sea-level and is often covered in cloud. The UNESCO World Heritage Site is popular with trekkers, some would say almost too popular.

But then, nothing Duke the shire horse does is subtle. He stands at just over 6ft 7in high at the withers, or shoulders - a world record - and weighs more than a ton.

Astonishingly, the five-year-old will continue to grow over the next couple of years, so he could yet put on another inch or two. Duke - who in equestrian terms is a little over 19.3 hands - was rescued in 2006 when his former owner died suddenly.

He has since become a star attraction at The Horse Refuge in Tenterden, Kent, where his new owners have had to build a special large stable for him. He also needs custom-made rugs and collars. Carer Sara Ross said: 'Visitors can't believe it when they see him. Some joke that he must be crossed with an elephant.

'He towers over me. I go underneath him rather than around him when I'm with him to save time. When I'm grooming him I have to stand on something.'

Duke eats more than £110 of food each week, receiving two large feeds and a bale-and-a-half of hay in a winter week - more than four times as much as a normal horse.

Despite his formidable presence, Duke's best friend is Jasper - a Shetland pony.

These white fallow bucks make the perfect seasonal picture as they roam through the forest.

Posed in an almost mirror image, the dazzling white fur of these young bucks cut a truly extraordinary sight next to the brown coats of their fellow deer.

However they might not being Christmas cheer to their fellow fallows - these deers are known as Judas deers as their pale colouring stands out among the herd and makes them visible to poachers.The magnificent creatures were snapped by amateur photographer and wildlife enthusiast Stan Kemish, president of the British Deer Society's Wessex division.

Mr Kemish, from Hampshire, was delighted to find the two unusually coloured young bucks roaming together at the Bolderwood Deer Sanctuary in the New Forest.

The retired 73-year-old said: 'I was really lucky to get this photograph - it was purely by chance that I came across them.

'These two had been spooked by the sound of a dog barking in the distance and they had raised their heads in such a majestic way.

'I think the picture really captures the beauty of these animals - they really look their best when they are alert."'

Mr Kemish believes the bucks are two of a group of around 20 white fallow deer that roam the forest.

He said: 'The white deer are such remarkable creatures and such beautiful animals.

'It's so spectacular to see them and people love to come down to the forest to catch a glimpse of them because they are seen as such a big novelty.'

It is thought the snowy-white complexions are not down to a lack of pigmentation but a gene found in some fallow deer.

Mr Kernish said: 'It's a common misconception that the deer are albino.

'If this were the case they would have pink eyes and pink feet but this isn't the case with these deer.'

It's a feat worthy of a Bushtucker trial on reality TV show I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!

But even the likes of I'm A Celebrity winner Joe Swash would be unable - or unwilling - to match this.

Thailand's Scorpion Queen has set a new world record - by holding a poisonous scorpion in her mouth for just over two minutes.And Kanchana Kaetkaew, 39, may be able to hold that title for a while - it's doubtful she will see any challengers any time soon.

Kaetkaew went for the record today in a mall in Pattaya, a city on the Gulf of Thailand known for its nightlife and cabaret.

She was handed the arachnid by her husband - who, coincidentally, is known as the Centipede King - and held it in her mouth for 2mins 1.8secs before spitting it out.

The pair were married in a haunted house on Valentine's Day in 2006. The Centipede King - Bunthawee Siengwong, 31 - placed a centipede in her mouth, while she wore a white lace dress covered in scorpions.

Kaetkaew wore a similar dress - also covered in scorpions - for her record-breaking success today.

But the feat wasn't enough for the ever ambitious Kaetkaew.

Now she has gone on to begin her second world record attempt: entering a glass compound where she hopes to stay for 33 days and nights along with 5,000 scorpions.

But again, the field of competition remains thin. The previous world record 32 days was set in 2002 - by Kaetkaew herself.

Amazing pictures of plankton reveal a very different side to life in the sea and may make you think twice next time you go into the water.

From spider crabs to starfish larvae, these creatures live in their billions off the British coast and have been photographed by Dr Richard Kirby, of the University of Plymouth, for a new exhibition.

'They account for half the world's photosynthesis and help regulate our climate.'Over millions of years dead plankton created our oil and gas reserves and single cell phytoplankton were responsible for the White Cliffs of Dover.

'They also form a food web without which there would be no fish,' added Dr Kirby.

The pictures show the two types of plankton; phytoplankton, which are plant-like, and zooplankton - animals.Despite being less than 2mm long, plankton can be seen from space when they form massive blooms.

'People who see them are surprised because they learn exactly what is in the sea when they go for a swim and what they may swallow,' said Dr Kirby.

Dr Kirby's photographs will tour the Blue Reef, Blue Planet and Deep Sea World aquariums across the country throughout 2009.

If only he’d remembered the old expression ‘monkey see, monkey do’. . .

When this animal trainer handed out a beating to one of his performing animals, he quickly found himself on the receiving end of a revenge attack that saw him being scratched, bitten and hit with his own stick. The man works at a market in Sizhou, China, where he has taught three monkeys to ride bicycles.

But after he thrashed one, the animals struck back.

One twisted his ear, then another sank its teeth into his head.

A third monkey snatched up the trainer’s cane and beat him over the head until the stick broke. The man said: ‘They were once wild and these performances don’t always come naturally to them.

The ruins of an entire city have been found in northern Peru which could provide the 'missing link' between two ancient cultures, researchers have said.

Researchers digging at the Cerro Patapo archaeological site made the discovery 14 miles (22km) from the Pacific coast city of Chiclayo.

They say the ruins likely date back to the Wari culture, which existed in what is now Peru between about 600 AD and 1100 AD.If initial assumptions prove correct, the discovery would connect the ancient Wari civilization to the Moche culture, which flourished from about 100 AD to 600 AD.

The buried city includes ceramics, bits of clothing and the well-preserved remains of a young woman.

The sprawling site, which stretches over 3 miles (5km), contained cells and rooms that were used for human sacrifice.

A team led by the project's chief archaeologist Cesar Soriano, discovered special spots designated for the act of killing and a heap of bones at the bottom of a nearby cliff, an indication that the victims were thrown to their deaths.

'It provides the missing link because it explains how the Wari people allowed for the continuation of culture after the Moche,' Soriano told Reuters.

He said the discovery provides the first evidence of Wari culture, which expanded from the country's south, at the northern site.

The Wari people lived and ruled for 500 years and made their capital near modern-day Ayacucho, in the Andes, but travelled widely and are known for their extensive network of roads. They conducted multiple burials and sent their loved ones into the afterlife with provisions and tools of their trade.

The discovery appears to back-up historical comment that believed the Wari people produced strong, well-built stone buildings.

The structure of the buildings were often made up of vast rectangular enclosures laid out in strict patterns. They were also designed to be earthquake resistant.

Earlier this year, archaeologists at the Huaca Pucllana ruins in Lima, located some 500 miles (800km) south of Chiclayo, discovered a mummy that is also thought to be Wari.

The mummy - named Lady of the Mask - was assumed to be a noblewoman and was found in a crouching position surrounded by ceramics and textiles.

Peru is a country rich in archaeological treasures and has hundreds of sites that date back thousands of years and span dozens of cultures.

These include the Incan empire that was in power when Spanish explorers arrived in the early 1500s.

Shifting the baby weight after a pregnancy can be tough and judging by this picture it looks like Kathi the hippopotamus is struggling a bit.

Nevertheless things seem to be going just swimmingly for the mother who showed off her two-week-old calf on her first public outing at Berlin Zoo in Germany yesterday.

Little Paula was born underwater on November 29 and mother and baby are happy, healthy and bonding nicely, say zookeepers.

The calf is Kathi's second baby and the first hippo to be born at the zoo in three years.She might seem tiny but Paula already weighs 40kgs (88lbs) and will soon catch up to her mother's full figure, weighing up to a whopping two tons.

More than a thousand new species have been discovered in the Greater Mekong Region of Southeast Asia in the last decade, according to a new report from WWF.

Among the 1,068 new species discovered between 1997 and 2007 were the world’s largest huntsman spider, with a leg span of 30 centimetres, and the hot pink cyanide-producing 'dragon millipede'.

Most species were discovered in the largely unexplored jungles and wetlands. However, the Laotian rock rat, thought to be extinct 11 million years ago, was first encountered by scientists in a local food market.

The Siamese Peninsula pitviper was found slithering through the rafters of a restaurant in Khao Yai National Park in Thailand.

'This region is like what I read about as a child in the stories of Charles Darwin,' said Dr Thomas Ziegler, Curator at the Cologne Zoo.

'It is a great feeling being in an unexplored area and to document its biodiversity for the first time… both enigmatic and beautiful,' he said.

The findings, highlighted in First Contact in the Greater Mekong report, include 519 plants, 279 fish, 88 frogs, 88 spiders, 46 lizards, 22 snakes, 15 mammals, 4 birds, 4 turtles, 2 salamanders and a toad.The region comprises the six countries through which the Mekong River flows including Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and the southern Chinese province of Yunnan.

It is estimated thousands of new invertebrate species were also discovered during this period, further highlighting the region’s immense biodiversity.

'It doesn’t get any better than this,' said Stuart Chapman, Director of WWF’s Greater Mekong Programme.

'We thought discoveries of this scale were confined to the history books. This reaffirms the Greater Mekong’s place on the world map of conservation priorities.'

The report stresses economic development and environmental protection must go hand-in-hand to ensure the survival of the Greater Mekong's astonishing array of species and natural habitats.

'This poorly understood biodiversity is facing unprecedented pressure… for scientists, this means that almost every field survey yields new diversity, but documenting it is a race against time,' said Raoul Bain, Biodiversity Specialist from the American Museum of Natural History.

The report recommends what is urgently needed to protect the biodiversity of the region is a formal, cross-border agreement by the governments of the Greater Mekong.

'Who knows what else is out there waiting to be discovered, but what is clear is that there is plenty more where this came from,' said Chapman.

The deep, dark ocean is a scary place, and it’s teeming with creatures that can inspire many a horror flick. Here’s our round-up of real-life monsters, animals that exhibit what’s known as abyssal gigantism, or the tendency for deep-sea dwellers to be much, much larger than their shallow-water cousins. It’s not known exactly why this type of gigantism occurs, but one thing’s for sure, we’re lucky that a close encounter with any of these eight giants in their natural habitat is rare!

1. Japanese Spider CrabThe Japanese spider crab can be found skulking around the bottom of the deep, dark sea floor. It can weigh up to 44 pounds, possess a leg span of almost four metres and boast a body size of 15 inches. It’s also incredibly long-lived, with a lifespan of up to 100 years.2. Giant IsopodIt’s a pill bug on steroids! The giant isopod is a scavenger that thrives in deep, cold waters. At up to 14.5 inches in length and up to three pounds in weight, this creepy crustacean is a meaty dish that’s sometimes boiled and served in Northern Taiwanese oceanside restaurants.3. Giant Tube WormIf the thought of accidentally crushing an earthworm on a rainy day makes you cringe, you don’t want to know about the hordes of giant tube worms that live miles deep under the sea. These animals can grow to more than two metres long, and love the extreme heat and sulfurous environment near hydrothermal vents called ‘black smokers’.4. Seven-arm OctopusAccording to all known records, this 75 kg, four metre-long beast is the largest octopus on our planet, though some say the North Pacific Giant Octopus can grow even larger. Male octopuses have a specialized egg fertilization arm that’s coiled-up by the right eye, making it look like the octopus only has seven arms.5. North Pacific Giant OctopusAlthough the title of ‘world’s largest octopus’ is disputed, there’s no mistaking that the North Pacific giant octopus is a formidable killer. Watch this video and you’ll see that even sharks aren’t safe in its company.6. King of HerringsAt up to 11 metres, the king of herrings is cited in the Guinness Book of World Records as being the longest fish alive. But even though it can grow to be quite large, it is very elusive; it wasn’t until 2001 that it was filmed alive.

7. Bigfin SquidWe’ll focus on two of the many monstrous squid species here, including the alien-like bigfin squid. This squid’s got huge fins that resemble dumbo-ears as well as extremely long arms and incredibly elastic tentacles that are held at strange angles to it’s body. Check out this eerie video:

8. Colossal SquidNo round-up of deep-sea monsters would be complete without recognition of the largest invertebrate in the world - the colossal squid. It’s estimated that this animal can grow up to an impressive 14 metres long, and has a body that’s both wider and heavier than the giant squid.

No, you’re not hallucinating; you really are seeing bright green mushrooms, but if you are partial to the odd magic mushie, these images won’t faze you in the slightest.

These neon green mushrooms, or Mycena chlorophos, to use the technical term, emerge during the rainy season in Japanese and Brazilian forests, scattering the floor with glowing spores. The bases of tree trunks, fallen branches, leaf litter and moist soil provide perfect breeding grounds for the mushrooms.Found mostly on Mesameyama island in Ugui, Japan and Ribeira Valley Tourist State Park, Brazil, the appearance of these garish looking fungi is due to bioluminescence, one of the weird but wonderful reactions that happen naturally in many plants and animals.Bioluminescence occurs when the natural chemical energy produced within an organism is converted to light energy. The result is an amazing display of natural fluorescent light, or ‘cold light’ (as opposed to red hot light). The color of bioluminescence is normally at the blue/green end of the visible light spectrum.This organic light display can be seen in the late summer months, and although there are nightly visits to the forests in Japan, these rare shrooms only thrive where they are because they’ve been relatively undisturbed by humans. So, for now it’s probably best to enjoy them from the comfort of your own home, that way they’ll be around for a while longer. And, no, you can’t get high on them, although no doubt someone has tried!